The Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced 20 Ghanaian fishermen to one-year imprisonment for trafficking marijuana, popularly called cannabis sativa, from Ghana to Nigeria.

Justice Nicholas Oweibo convicted the men following their plea of guilty to a two-count charge of conspiracy and unlawful transportation of 13.670 kilogrammes of the substance, filed against them by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The convicts are: Francis Teye; Kweke Komel; Gad Adjah; Theophilus Tetteh; Kwesi Aboagye; Ekon Fynn; Kwamena Baah, Male, Adult, Kwabina Adjei; Micheal Okutu, Male, Adult, Isaac Kofi, Male, Adult, Kweku Moko; Kwezi Adzi and Kweku Mensah.

Others are Micheal Kofi; Ekon Bentum; Kwesi Amissah; Joshua Huago; Otu Otipeseku; Isaac Yorsson and Nana Kodwo.

Prosecution counsel Mr. Fingere Dinneys Owen said the men were arrested with the drugs on January 14, 2022, on Nigerian territorial waters.

Owen said the offence contravened Sections 11(b) and 14(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act, 2004.

Following their plea, their counsel Mr. Uche Okoronkwo made an allocutus, praying for leniency.